RAS-JACS Journal Club

The Resident and Associate Society of American College of Surgeons (RAS-ACS) and JACS Journal Club is a joint venture developed to engage trainees and junior attendings with the current surgical literature through discussion with world experts. The RAS-JACS collaboration is designed to promote user participation at every stage of your career.

The primary benefit of an online journal club is ease of participation. Traditional journal clubs require all participants to meet in the same place at the same time. For busy trainees, clinical responsibilities create barriers to meaningful contributions. By moving the scholarly discussion to an online forum, participants can engage in the debate at their own convenience. Extending the journal club to the online space also allows for a more diverse exchange of ideas between different individuals and institutions. Being able to engage directly with experts in surgery through Twitter is a truly remarkable opportunity.

About RAS-ACS

RAS-ACS serves to familiarize surgeons-in-training and junior surgeons with ACS programs and leadership. RAS-ACS provides an avenue for participation in ACS affairs, fosters development and use of your leadership skills, and creates opportunities to voice your opinions and concerns as young surgeons and trainees directly to College leadership. One essential skill of all young surgeons is developing the desire for lifelong learning.

About JACS

The Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS) is the official scientific publication of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). Formerly known as Surgery, Gynecology & Obstetrics (1905–1994), JACS has the goal of providing its readership the highest quality rapid retrieval of information relevant to surgeons.

Article Selection Process

Five times a year the RAS Executive Committee—consisting of the Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary—choose an article published in JACS. The articles selected are those that are published in JACS throughout the year, with additional journal club articles selected from societal publications in JACS, including the Southern Surgical Association, Western Surgical Association, and the ACS Surgical Forum from the Clinical Congress.

Discussion

How the Discussion Works

After an article is selected, discussion topics are developed by the JACS Editorial Board, RAS-JACS leadership, and RAS journal club reviewers. Subject-matter experts, RAS moderators, and the article’s authors are invited to participate in the online discussion and provide expert commentary. Through the course of an evening, questions and surveys are posted for discussion on the RAS Twitter account (@RASACS).

Where to Find the Discussion

The discussion takes place on Twitter, where the conversation is very active and dynamic throughout the journal club. The subject-matter experts and authors will post their perspectives on Twitter and tag the discussion with the hashtag #RASJACS. Follow @RASACS for further information and search the #RASJACS hashtag for active participation in the Journal Club.